Openings: Lions & Tigers & Squares, Nostro and Auriga Café

Lions & Tigers & Squares

As we noted on Oct. 11, the outpost of Lions & Tigers & Squares is now open here on Second Avenue and 10th Street.

The pizzeria, via the owners of Artichoke, is an homage to all things Detroit with a menu showcasing four-slice Detroit-style square pies featuring pepperoni, baby meatball, black olive and their Mustard Pie with spicy brown mustard and cheddar cheese. Other menu items include spicy chicken wings called the Detroit Red Wings.

The first Lions & Tigers & Squares opened in the spring of 2018 on 23rd Street in Chelsea. This space is larger, with a 50-seat dining room and a bar. The sidewalk cafe arrives in the spring.

Nicoletta closed last December at this address after six-plus years in business. They are still delivering pizzas from somewhere.



Nostro

The low-key Italian restaurant is now open at 75 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.

Expect to find an array of pastas and staples such as eggplant parmigiana ($12) and grilled salmon ($17). Not sure what their portions are like — the prices look reasonable enough.

This is the second outpost for Nostro, which got its start out on Fifth Avenue in the Greenwood Heights/South Slope area of Brooklyn. (EVG contributor James Maher is a fan of the Brooklyn location!)

No. 75 has been vacant since ZaabVer Thai closed in the spring of 2018.


[Photo by @BobbyFingers]

Auriga Café

The cafe at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street had been in soft-open mode since early September ... with the grand opening taking place last Thursday.

Auriga Café is the second venture for David Duran, who owns nine-year-old El Camion two storefronts to the south. With this space, he's offering "upscale comfort food" with aspirations of filling a dining niche left by former Avenue A mainstays 7A and Sidewalk Cafe.

The menu features a variety of burgers, salads, soups, etc. Find the menu here. There's also a weekend brunch with breakfast and lunch entrees. Breakfast and lunch service will begin the second week of November.

No. 198 was previously Empire Biscuit, which faded into potato peeling' infamy in early 2016.

The Caswell-Massey pop-up shop has officially popped up on the Bowery

The Caswell-Massey pop up is now open at 312 Bowery at First Street. (First mentioned here.)

The space is a retail/exhibit combo celebrating 267 years of the American fragrance house, whose first NYC store opened in the 1860s. (Their flagship location on Lexington at 48th in the Barclay Hotel was around from 1926 until 2010.)

A Caswell-Massey rep told me that this outpost will be open through the December holidays and into early Spring 2020.

Steamy Hallows, the Harry Potter-themed coffee shop on 6th Street, closes after Halloween

Steamy Hallows, the Harry Potter-themed coffee and dessert shop at 514 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, closes after service tomorrow (Oct. 31).

According to the Steamy Hallows Instagram account, the owners couldn't come to an agreement with the landlord on a new lease. The more recent Steamy Hallows outpost in Kingston, Pa. remains open.

This was the latest venture from Zach Neil, the pop-up theme bar entrepreneur behind Beetle House on Sixth Street as well as the now-closed Will Ferrell bar Stay Classy on the LES and the short-lived 'Merica NYC on Sixth Street.

Steamy Hallows debuted in February in space that briefly housed Cake Shake, the extreme milk-shake shop that debuted in August 2018.

Tuesday's parting shot

Spotted near Sixth Street and the FDR...

NYPD looking for suspect who tried to force his way into woman's apartment near 7th and A

The NYPD is seeking information on a suspect who allegedly tried to force his way into a woman's apartment near Seventh Street and Avenue A this past Friday night at 11.

Here's the info that the NYPD provided...

It was reported to police that on Friday October 25 at approximately 2300 hours, the individual followed the 19-year-old female victim into a residential building in the vicinity of East 7 Street and Avenue A. Once inside the building, they entered the elevator together.

When the victim got off the elevator and walked to her apartment door, the individual approached her from behind and covered her mouth. He then wrapped his other arm around her waist and demanded she open the door to her apartment. The victim refused and yelled out for help. When one of the victim's neighbors opened her door to see what was happening, the individual released the victim and ran to the elevator; he fled out of the building in an unknown direction.

The individual is described as a male, black, 20 to 25 years old, 6'2"; he was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, a white hooded sweater, black shorts, and black sneakers.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

As the posters along Seventh Street note, there's up to a $2,500 reward for information on this case.

Details on the preservation and rehabilitation of 243 affordable housing units in the East Village

[199 Avenue B]

Catching up to this story from last week... when, on Tuesday, an array of city and federal officials came together during a press conference "to celebrate the commencement of the preservation and rehabilitation of project-based Section 8 housing in the East Village."

During the press conference, which included local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, officials announced renovation details about 199 Avenue B, the building at 12th Street that is one of several Section 8 properties being preserved as the result of an agreement among a lot of organizations — the Center Development Corporation (CDC), LIHC Investment Group, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The agreement, first announced in August 2018, covers 243 units co-owned by the CDC and LIHC in the East Village ... and guaranteeing that they will be maintained as affordable for individuals and families whose income does not exceed 50 percent of AMI for at least the next 40 years. The 243 units are spread across several buildings in the neighborhood.

Co-owners CDC and LIHC are investing nearly $7.5 million to make repairs and renovate apartments across the portfolio, for an average spend of $30,000 per unit.

In addition, officials announced that more affordable housing will be coming to the long-empty lot at 351 E. 10th St. just east of Avenue B...



Plans for the housing here date to 2005, when plans were filed for a 6-floor building with 24 units. The work permits were never approved though, per public records.

Have questions or concerns about the new Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital on 2nd Avenue?

[Rendering of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital]

You have two chances to hear more about Mount Sinai Beth Israel's plans for new facilities on Second Avenue and 13th Street as well as the Rivington House.

Joining in will be nearly every local elected official...



Per the invite (which only showed up in my inbox last night from a reader): "Voice your concerns about the State review process, medical services, insurance that will be accepted and more."

The first public meeting is tonight (Oct. 29) from 6:30-8:30 at P.S. 20, Essex at Houston. Next Monday (Nov. 4) the meeting moves to the Sirovich Senior Center on 12th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Hospital officials are expected to be on-hand to answer questions about the project.

Back in the summer, Mount Sinai Beth Israel officials released more details on their "$1 billion downtown transformation."

For starters, they submitted an application to the state Department of Health to close and relocate Mount Sinai Beth Israel from its current location on First Avenue and 16th Street to Second Avenue and 13th Street.

As previously reported in the fall of 2016, the Mount Sinai Health System is in the midst of its years-long project to rebuild Mount Sinai Beth Israel, transitioning to a network of smaller facilities throughout lower Manhattan.

The plans include an expanded facility on 14th Street and Second Avenue, which includes a new 7-story hospital on 13th Street on the lot where a now-demolished 14-floor building that housed training physicians and staff once stood.

Per the Mount Sinai Beth Israel news release from July:

Demolition for the planned site of the new Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital was completed earlier this year and, pending approvals, Mount Sinai anticipates breaking ground in early 2020.

Expected to open in 2023, the new hospital will feature all private inpatient beds, cutting edge cardiac and neurologic interventional services, an operative platform, and a state-of-the-art emergency department. It will be integrated with the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, allowing for enhanced Ophthalmologic and ENT clinical services, including a 24/7 eye trauma emergency department, and access to state-of-the-art imaging, pharmacy, and laboratory services. In the meantime, the current MSBI hospital and emergency department will remain fully open and accessible until the opening of the new hospital.

As for the former Rivington House:

Included in the $1 billion Downtown plan is a $140 million commitment to create a comprehensive, community-oriented behavioral health center: The Mount Sinai Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center.

The new facility, located at the site of the current Rivington House, will offer downtown residents a holistic approach to mental health and become a one-stop location for psychiatric, addiction, physical health, and social service needs. ... The site will not include methadone treatment services.

The sale of the Rivington House, a six-story, 119-year-old building at 45 Rivington St., "represents one of Mayor Bill de Blasio's biggest black eyes," as Gothamist once put it.

In February 2015, the Allure Group paid $28 million for the property, promising that 45 Rivington — the former Rivington Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation — would remain a health facility. In November 2015, a city agency lifted the the deed in exchange for the Allure Group's $16 million payment to the city. Allure then reportedly sold the property for $116 million to a development group with designs on a condoplex for the property that overlooks Sara S. Roosevelt Park, unleashing an outpouring of outrage.

The condo plans never moved forward. Crain's first reported on Mount Sinai's plan to lease the space last December. (The move caught Rivington House advocates by surprise.)

Find more info on the Mount Sinai Beth Israel restructuring at their FAQ page.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An empty lot awaits the future home of the new Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital on 13th Street

Permits filed to demolish Mount Sinai's 13th Street residential building

Mount Sinai Beth Israel files plan for 7-story hospital on 13th Street

Yakiniku West looking to reopen soon on 9th Street

Workers recently removed the construction plywood from outside the retail space at 218 E. Ninth St. — home of the currently closed Yakiniku West.

It's a good sign for fans of the restaurant, which offered Japanese barbeque here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

A two-alarm fire broke out in the building in April 2018. Fire officials reportedly deemed the blaze an accident due to wiring on the ceiling of the first level.

Yakiniku West posted on Facebook in September that they'll be returning some time next month...



No word on the rest of the building, where three apartments above the restaurant were damaged. Per CBS 2 at the time, five adults and one child were displaced. Fire officials called the residential units "unlivable."

B Bar & Grill is still open

Rumors started circulating yesterday via a tweet that B Bar & Grill had closed, and demolition was underway on the southwest corner of the Bowery and Fourth Street.

In the video that accompanied the tweet, workers can be seen inside the garden area during usual lunch hours. It's not immediately clear what the workers are doing.

However, the restaurant is still open. A sign on the door for patrons yesterday noted that they were closed for lunch, with a 5 p.m. dinner-drinks service. To date, there haven't been any new work or demolition permits filed for the address, per public records.

In any event, it's easy to see why people might think this is the end for the B Bar. It was recently revealed through public records that CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery — the current home of the B Bar & Grill.

Hotelier Eric Goode, who owns B Bar, has been assembling air rights to build a larger project on this corner space.

This warehousing of parcels will likely also mean the end of B Bar & Grill, which opened in 1994, some day. News of the B Bar's closure will likely be a Big Media Moment. They will not go quietly into the night without some oral histories and what-it-all-means essays.

Previously on EV Grieve:
CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

So long Dean & Deluca

From over at Broadway and Prince earlier this afternoon ... EVG reader Robert Miner shared this photo showing the auction sign up at the flagship location (circa 1988) of Dean & Deluca.

As we first noted earlier this month, the financially strapped high-end grocer and cafe had put up a "temporarily closed" sign here that no one really believed. The company was up to its green tea truffles in debt.

And this afternoon, the once-grand brand auctioned off all that remained inside the shop.

As of now, only two U.S. locations — both in Hawaii — are believed to be in existence. The Dean & Deluca website has also expired.

Must be the season of the Witches

"A Gathering of Witches" takes place tomorrow (Tuesday) night at Berlin, 25 Avenue A at Second Street...

Per the EVG inbox...

It's Halloween week and the witches are gathering to conjure up some heavy sights and sounds to awaken the ghosts of NYC/LES.

Sabbathwitch
Kembra Pfahler
Steph Paynes
Tracy City
The Buzz & The Hum
Guest DJ: Tony Mann
Celebrating drum goddess Leesa Harrington-Squyres born under the sign Samhain.

Starts at 8 p.m.

Ticket price: "Pay What You Witch"

200 new trees will grow in the East Village

We've received reader reports from around the neighborhood in recent days about city contractors digging up and replacing soil in tree pits.

EVG regular Daniel shared these top two photos from Thursday on 10th Street outside the Tompkins Square Library branch...



Word is nearly 200 trees will be planted in the East Village in the months ahead.

Among the locations receiving new trees — Seventh Street at Avenue A (thanks Paul W.!) ... shade for Joe Strummer...



... and Cooper Square near Seventh Street...



The city has an interactive map that shows you where the new trees will be... and when you can expect them on your block...



The above is just a screengrabs. Find the map at this link.

You can also find the city's current tree map right here.

Kent takes over Vanessa's Dumpling House on 14th Street

Bargain-eats favorite Vanessa's Dumpling House recently closed at 220 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue for what the sign on the gate described as a "modernization."

The Dumpling House is back open, though Vanessa's name has been replaced by Kent's on the marquee.

EVG regular Stephen Popkin stopped by on Friday as the Kent's team was prepping to reopen for the weekend...



Here's his field report: "The place was looking mighty clean but not renovated — it was exactly the same inside. The same friendly staff was there to great me ... I’m very happy."





No word at the moment who Kent might be — aside from, presumably, the new owner. (Or it's just a random name.) This location is no longer on the Vanessa's website.

Joseph C. Sauer Park closed now for year-long renovation

The reconstruction of Joseph C. Sauer Park is underway here on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...



We've been reporting on this in recent weeks (see links below)...



To recap: As previously reported, while the $4 million redesign of the Park was welcome, local residents were unhappy with the Parks Department's plan to install a 4-foot fence here upon completion of the rehab. According to a petition that was in circulation, the shorter fence would "make the park less secure and an unsafe place for children to use."

However, on Oct. 18, local Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera announced a deal with the city that would keep the fence at 8 feet.

The renovations — part of Mayor de Blasio’s Community Parks Initiative — have a completion date of October 2020, per the Park's website.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A petition to keep the 8-foot fence at Joseph C. Sauer Park on 12th Street

Year-long renovations expected soon at Joseph C. Sauer Park on 12th Street; locals want fence to remain at 8 feet

Pols: Fence at Joseph C. Sauer Park on 12th Street will remain at 8 feet

A look at the incoming Williamsburg Pizza on 14th Street

The Williamsburg Pizza signage/awning is up now at 226 E. 14th St. between Second and Third Avenue. The opening is expected soon. (Don't have an exact date.)

The restaurant, which will have a dine-in option with tables and counter space, combined two storefronts here, including the former Krust pizza ...



This will make the third Williamsburg Pizza location... joining the original out on Union Avenue in Brooklyn and the one on Broome Street on the LES. (Chef/owner Nino Coniglio also makes pizza at 310 Bowery.)

As previously noted, the pizzeria has plenty of fans (one example). And a few years back New York magazine gave them the Best Slice Joint nod.

Fat Buddha reopens after early spring fire upstairs

Fat Buddha is back in business (soft open was on Oct. 18) over at 212 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street.



The bar-lounge had been closed since March 29 when a fire tore through an apartment on the third floor of 505 E. 13th St. at Avenue A.

The fire caused extensive damage to this retail space, as the owners documented on Instagram.

[Updated] Daytripper has not been open lately

Updated 12/4: The bar has returned as Grinchy Tavern, a Dr. Seuss-inspired pop-up for the holiday.

Several readers have pointed out that Daytripper, the bar featuring beer pong, darts and foosball on the southeast corner of Avenue C and 10th Street, has been dark for the past month...



There isn't any mention of a closure — temporary or permanent — on the bar's website or now-private Instagram account. Google lists the place as permanently closed...



The owners of the East Village Tavern (the second iteration) changed the name to Daytripper in the late summer. The name change coincided with CB3's denial of East Village Tavern's application to extend their hours to 4 a.m. and add karaoke, live music and DJs.

According to the State Liquor Authority's database, the liquor license for the owners — St. Vince Group LLC — is active through June 2020.

The lone review of Daytripper on Yelp noted the following along with one star: "Very corny, and very out of place. I don't know why you'd open a college douchehole on Avenue C. Narrowing down your clientele that is the opposite of the culture of the neighborhood. Not enjoyable, and the TVs are annoying."

Sunday's parting shot

Down and out for this straw man on Fourth Street... photo by Derek Berg.

I'll be there for you?

A man, described in media reports as a homeless ex-convict, was caught with a brick in the backyard of the home linked to David Schwimmer on Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Per the News:

Police caught Eric Rosa, 29, lurking in the backyard of the actor’s E. Sixth Street home near First Ave. about 12:30 a.m., allegedly trying to break in with the brick.

It's not entirely clear if the actor still lives in this townhouse. The Post reported in 2017 that Schwimmer was house-hunting elsewhere in the neighborhood following the split from his wife.

Reader photo from 2013

Week in Grieview

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg]

Posts from this past week included...

Reports: 2 women kicked out of Downtime on Avenue B for confronting accused rapist Harvey Weinstein at event for artists (Thursday)

At the 29th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade (Monday)

Pols: Fence at Joseph C. Sauer Park on 12th Street will remain at 8 feet (Monday)

Gut renovations continue at the soon-to-be-expanded 264 E. 7th St. (Thursday)

Here then, the Lower East Side Quality of Life Improvement Plan (Wednesday)

After 10 years, Luke's Lobster is closing its East Village outpost on Oct. 31 (Monday)

Seems like old times: The post-prison life of Steve Croman (Wednesday)

The Salvation Army Family Store on 4th Avenue is closing next week (Friday)

Will the new Avenue A L-train entrances open soon? (Tuesday)

A sign of love at the incoming Paloma Rocket-Carbone Pizza on 7th Street (Thursday)

This week's NY See (Thursday)

Positive signs for Gem Spa (Friday)

Afandi Grill closes on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

Newsstand arrives on 4th Street and the Bowery (Monday)


[Early evening bat sighting in Tompkins via Steven]

Looking at the Book Club signage on 3rd Street (Tuesday)

Your AT&T store signage on 14th Street and First Avenue (Friday)

The Wild Son shapes up on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Monday)

These 5 East Village restaurants are seeing Michelin stars (Thursday)

Old Fashioned Pizza debuts on 13th Street (Wednesday)

Stormproofing watch: Haven Plaza (Tuesday)

Report: Alleged host of 7th Street sex parties arrested for a probation violation (Monday)

A look at the under-renovation Irving Plaza (Thursday)

... and a peak fall shot from along 10th Street this past week by riachung00...



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Sunday morning street and Park scenes

From 10th and B and Tompkins Square Park this morning... thanks to Vinny & O for the photos...



Also, it's raining. (Should I start a daily weather post?)

Saturday, Oct. 26

[St. Mark's Place this morning]

Among the free things to do today...

• Local tribute band The Meetles will be performing in Tompkins Square Park from 2 to 6 p.m. In addition to the songs from their usual playlist, which contains classic rock music from the 1950s to 1980s, expect some Halloween-related tracks. More details here.

• Here's your chance to experience the current interpretation of the piece "Live Free or Die" from Michael Shenker's The Squatter's Opera. It starts at 12:30 p.m. in La Plaza Cultural Community Garden on Ninth Street and Avenue C. This link has all the details.

• The latest edition of Paul Tschinkel’s ART/new york series features longtime Bowery resident Curt Hoppe, exploring his work as a photographer and realist painter. Info on the program at this link. The discussion, along with a film, takes place from 7-9 tonight at Howl! Happening, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Also, this is not free... "Downtown 81" starring Jean-Michel Basquiat is screening today and tomorrow (and next week) down at the Metrograph.

Friday's parting shot

Tight parking on Seventh Street today via Derek Berg...

Some art to Think about on 4th Avenue

East Village-based artist RVEB (aka Russell Butenhof) is debuting a collection of his paintings at Think Coffee on Fourth Avenue tomorrow (Oct. 26) from 6 to 9 p.m.

"I want to get people excited about the idea of art and how it can timestamp our struggles and worries about the complex world we live in," he said in a statement about the show. "The goal is for people who are already thinking about these things to see the canvas as a mirror and know they are not alone."

RVEB will be on hand for the premiere. Moving forward, an abridged collection of his work will remain at the coffee shop, 123 Fourth Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. This link has more info.

Here's a look at two of his paintings...

The big heat

Tropical sounds for a fall day. This is an audio clip for the recently released "Hawaiian Noir" by Aporia, a Berlin-based band originally from New Zealand.

Signage for interesting new business arrives on 1st Avenue and 14th Street

Just the other day we mentioned that an AT&T store was coming to the southwest corner of First Avenue and 14th Street.

And just like that, workers started putting up the AT&T signage here next to the MetroPCS and across the Avenue from a T-Mobile, as EVG AT&T Authorized Retailer correspondent Pinch reports...



For now, the storefront is paying homage by keeping up the iconic branding from the previous tenant here, the Vitamin Shoppe...